In an historic move with a standing-room-only crowd, the Jasper City Council put an end to the longtime unification of the mayor and city manger positions.

At their Monday, Feb. 5 meeting, in a 3-1 vote, council appointed former council member Jim Looney to temporarily fill the position of city manager, which Jasper Mayor John Weaver has held since 1992.

Separating these two positions surfaced last year when new council member Sonny Proctor brought up the issue at the January 2017 meeting. He has since argued that it is a conflict of interest that goes against the city’s original charter.